Agenda item

PROPOSAL: Outline application for the erection of one dwelling and detached garage with all matters reserved.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Delegated Permit.

48.14        This was an outline application for the erection of one dwelling and detached garage with all matters reserved.

48.15        The Planning Officer advised that the application site related to a parcel of land approximately 0.1 hectares comprised of a paddock and was located to the south of the applicant’s dwelling, Glebe Cottage, and to the east of Main Street.  The site was relatively flat and benefited from natural screening on the boundaries in the form of mature hedgerow and a high red brick wall.  A timber-framed stable block was located in the south-west corner of the site adjacent to a gated vehicular access.  Outline planning permission was sought for the erection of one dwelling and a detached garage with all matters reserved and an indicative plan had been submitted to show the location of the dwelling and creation of a new access.  The application had been called-in for a Committee decision by a Borough Councillor in order to assess the impact of the proposal on the landscape and nearby properties.  The application site was outside of any defined settlement boundary and was not allocated for housing development.  The proposal was not for affordable housing on a rural exception site and it did not represent infilling within the existing built-up area of the village; it had not been brought forward for development through a Community Right to Build Order and there were no policies in the existing development plan which allowed for the type of development proposed.  The proposal would introduce development into an open parcel of land and, consequently, there would be some extent of visual impact; however, the development would be viewed in the context of existing built-up development on either side of the application site and ‘infill’ of the developable plot in the context of the surrounding built form.  Whilst the proposed development would be fairly prominent from the adjacent public highway and would change the character of the site, the site itself sat in close proximity to existing residential development and the illustrative site plan showed that the proposed dwelling would be set back within the site with parking to the front.  Any subsequent reserved matters application would need to demonstrate that the proposed development would not result in an overly prominent form of development within the surrounding landscape and the proposed site layout would respect the location and orientation of existing built development.  In addition, the reserved matters application would need to show that the scale, form and external materials of the proposed dwelling and its architectural appearance would be in-keeping with the local vernacular and would be sympathetic in design to existing adjacent dwellings.  On the basis that the Council could not at this time demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable housing land, the policies for the supply of housing were out of date.  The presumption in favour of sustainable development indicated that permission should be granted unless the adverse impacts of permitting the development would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework as a whole.  Officers considered that, in its outline form, the proposal would not give rise to unacceptable impacts in relation to ecology, trees, flood risk and drainage, highway safety, residential and visual amenity, subject to appropriate conditions as set out in the Committee report.  It was noted that the Council’s Ecological Adviser had asked that the application be supported by a Preliminary Ecological Assessment and that had been requested but not yet submitted, therefore, it was recommended that authority be delegated to the Development Manager to permit the application, subject to the submission of the ecological report and any necessary conditions.

48.16        The Chair indicated that there were no public speakers for this item.  The Officer recommendation was that authority be delegated to the Development Manager to permit the application, subject to the submission of the ecological report and any necessary conditions and he sought a motion from the floor.  It was proposed and seconded that authority be delegated to the Development Manager to permit the application in accordance with the Officer recommendation.  The proposer of the motion wished to point out that County Highways had objected to the application due to the unsustainable location; however, as the Tewkesbury Borough Council Officers had pointed out in the Committee report, that was in conflict with the National Planning Policy Framework which allowed small scale residential developments in rural locations.  Despite County Highways raising no objection to the Tewkesbury Borough Plan, it continued to raise objections against Policy RES4 moving forward.  Another Member noted that County Highways had indicated that the development site was located in a rural environment with limited amenities and no schools within walking or cycling distance and no footways; however, he would dispute that statement as there was a school in Dumbleton which was easily cyclable from Wormington.

48.17        Upon being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED           That authority be DELEGATED to the Development Manager to PERMIT the application, subject to the submission of the ecological report and any necessary conditions.